After leaving the prince with the king’s body, Din, Ana, and Malo are taken through the guarded palace to the guest wing where the detained Treasury delegation is being held. The officers, desperate for news, crowd around them, but Ana immediately asks for Kardas. They find him grotesquely swollen and barely breathing, and Malo uses altered Arvith leeches to reduce the inflammation in his throat. This likely saves Kardas from dying before he can be cleared or questioned.

Ana then questions Gorthaus, Kardas’s engraver, because her engraved memory makes her a reliable witness. Gorthaus confirms that only six people were present at the tea: the king, the prince, Jari Pavitar, Satrap Darhi, Kardas, and Gorthaus herself. She says the prince served the king the first two cups, but before the third serving the king’s cup sat beside the cauldron while Pavitar, Darhi, Kardas, and the prince all approached the tea to pour for themselves. This means any of those men could have tampered with the king’s cup.

Gorthaus recounts that after the king collapsed, the Treasury group was taken under guard to another room. The prince later came to reassure them they would not be harmed, but shortly after he left, Kardas began coughing and collapsed in the same way as the king. Gorthaus is certain Kardas had not eaten or drunk anything in confinement, which deepens the mystery because Kardas appears to have been poisoned without taking anything by mouth. She also confirms that Camak’s arrival prevented the prisoners from being left to die.

When Ana presses Gorthaus on motive, Gorthaus offers no clear culprit. She says the prince would benefit by inheriting, but seems too gentle and unserious for murder; Pavitar is a devoted monarchist; and Darhi is ambitious but usually prefers influence and obligation over reckless violence. However, Gorthaus reveals that Darhi arranged the long-delayed tea meeting, which makes him newly significant. She also describes the eastern hall where the tea was held and its connected doors to the great hall, reliquary, and king’s private chambers, giving Ana more to consider about movement and access.

After the interview, Ana privately admits she is strained and frustrated because Gorthaus seems truthful yet has not solved the core puzzle. Din reports that Darhi privately reminded him about his oathcoin, reinforcing Darhi’s role as a power broker who may be trying to control events. Concluding that the trustworthy witnesses are exhausted, Ana decides their next source must be the hostile Jari Pavitar, whose pride and resentment may make him speak bluntly. She instructs Din to ask Pavitar about the king’s health and oddly aged body, and asks Malo to sit close enough to catch any emotional signs of lying.